Values are those principles or standards that highlight what means the most to you out of all the optional ways of living among families. The beautiful thing about values is that they can be and will be passed down to your children. When a family values creativity, they are valuing the individual. This includes that individual’s ideas and what they produce or create. When a family values art, they may be a family that values beauty, nature, and people’s interpretations of that beauty or they may value culture and history, which is clearly seen in art throughout the ages. Some families focus on learning and education and bring the arts into their lives because of that value. These values determine how you want to teach art and the choices you will make as you present the lessons.
- A high value on education will lead you to teach both the practical how-to skills of drawing and the historical aspects of it. You may want a classical approach to drawing such as using a program where children work from direct observation of source materials.
- A high value on beauty will lead you to desire that children get out into nature and draw and paint those things they see. You’ll love the nature study approach that we integrate into ARTistic Pursuits. You will want instruction in both drawing and color so that children can express their responses to nature with accuracy and color.
- A high value on culture and history will lead you to art history studies. You’ll love to add regular visits to the art museums to your schedule. Keep your children in mind, however, remembering that the study of master works is usually more enjoyable for children when they get to participate in the creating of art along with the history portion. There are several ways that this can happen. Most art museums have areas set up for kid’s participation. One can bring sketchbooks into any art museum and draw from the work of the masters. ARTistic Pursuits curriculum brings the two studies together in a natural, easy way, providing reproductions of great Master works within the text.
Knowing that your values direct your approach to teaching art will help you know what to look for. As the creators of ARTistic Pursuits, our family values broadened. Our parents possessed a love of nature and of making crafts, sewing, art, woodworking, and making things for the community. We sought out education to further enhance our love of art and within it discovered a fascinating story of cultures throughout the world. In this we see that values are both passed down and developed within each individual. Share your love of art, love of culture, love of education with your children. You can easily do that by simply making an art curriculum like ARTistic Pursuits a part of your weekly studies.
Brenda Ellis is author and illustrator of the ARTistic Pursuits art program for children, which has become a staple in the homeschool community for 20 years. Her combined experience as a homeschool mom and classroom art teacher of twenty years has been used to help families get a great art education at home. You can contact Brenda by email at: alltheanswers@artisticpursuits.com